Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 - A Traditional Chinese Dessert Stall with Korean Bingsu inspired desserts?!

• Operating Hours: 10 AM - 8 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: People's Park Centre, #02-48/58, 101 Upper Cross Street, S 058357
• Webpage

The hot weather in Singapore gets even hotter these few weeks! Happened to chance upon Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 while we were running errands at People's Park Centre, so we decided to give this stall a try, as well as to seize the chance to enjoy the aircon in People's Park Centre.

A "mother-daughter" team established Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 in the year 2004 to share their passion in making Chinese traditional desserts with all the like-minded individuals. As time goes by, the owner has introduced new flavours and items to be added to their menu, to improvise their desserts and also to keep up with the market trends. 

There is another dessert stall right beside Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 that sell similar desserts, but you can't miss Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 as they have expanded their business space by buying over the area directly opposite their stall.

These are the hot and cold dessert they have.

We decided to go for their Oreo Kakigori (Shaved ice in Japanese), Milo Kakigori and Tau Suan.

The Oreo Kakigori came first and taking the first look at it, it is 90% similar to a bowl of Korean Oreo Bingsu! A good amount of crushed Oreo used, topping up with condensed milk; the only difference between the Oreo Kakigori and Korean Oreo Bingsu is probably the price. $4.80 for this bowl of goodness, seriously?

The amount of condensed milk used was just right for us. Though we all have sweet tooth, we can't really take desserts that are too sweet/rich, and very often we would stop eating halfway. The Oreo Kakigori here was what we are looking for - generous amount of Oreo powder used, topped up with the right amount of condensed milk on a bowl of snowflake ice that literally melts in your mouth. Perfect!

We were surprised to see a small piece of Oreo Cheesecake hidden in the middle of the bowl. To Oreo fans- this is a bowl of dessert you should go for. Highly recommended!

Next came was the Tau Suan. Priced slightly on a higher side ($2.20), the Tau Suan served here is actually a healthier version (as compared to the regular hawker stall), which is less sweet. 

The last item came was the Milo Kakigori. This was actually the additional order (as we really like the Oreo version) so we were having high expectation on this as well. Similar to Oreo Kakigori, a generous amount of Milo Powder was given, topped up with condensed milk and marshmallow bits. The condensed milk given in the bowl of ice was significantly lesser, not sure if it is due to the marshmallow bits are given - as it will definitely affect the overall sweetness level of this bowl of dessert. 

Instead of the Oreo cheesecake, a small piece of the brownie was given instead. The brownie was slightly dry but overall it does taste good as well when you pair it with the ice. Personally, we felt that the Milo Kakigori is a fusion dessert (Milo powder - Singapore, Kakigori ice - Japan and Bingsu look alike - Korea) whichyou can try if you are a fan of these three countries like us.

All in all, the dessert served at Dessert Hut 甜品小屋 are generally on a healthier side as it is not as sweet as compared to the desserts served at a regular dessert stall. Though we did not try many of their traditional desserts while we were there, we have seen many patrons ordering their hot desserts despite the hot weather. Being in the market for more than 15 years selling traditional Chinese desserts, we like how the owner improvised their menu to keep up with the current trend, opening up the new market with potential to attract a younger crowd to patronize their stall. Do give it a try and share with us how you feel after visiting!

Tiong Bahru Market - Many great food options other than Lor Mee & Wanton Noodle!

• Stall Name: Kampong Carrot Cake (#02-53)
• Operating Hours: 7.30 AM to 3 PM
• Operating Days: Daily
• Address: 2nd Floor of 30 Seng Poh Road, S 168898

The newly renovated Tiong Bahru Market was installed with 4 big fans like what you can see in those outdoor MRT stations nowadays. So today we've come to visit a few of the food offered here. Starting off with Carrot Cake...

Fried Carrot Cake, commonly known as Chai Tow Kway is a food in Singapore which Singaporeans eat throughout the day at breakfast, lunch, dinner or even supper.  Do not confuse yourself with the Western carrot cake eaten as dessert. 

Tiong Bahru Kampong Carrot Cake offers both the black and white version from $2.50 to $5.00. Kampong Carrot Cake is more popular for the black carrot cake, so we decided to get the black version. While we were ordering, we asked for another chopstick but the owner told us if we wanted to get another chopstick, we need to get a bigger portion of carrot cake. So something for you to take note of.

Very rare you will see places serve carrot cake with banana leaf nowadays. Fried with eggs and sprinkled with spring onion, the difference of Kampong Carrot cake compared to any other fried carrot cake stall the radish cake is of bigger pieces.

The style and taste of this black radish cake very much give you the same feeling of eating the same along the road side’s stalls that perhaps can only be found in Malaysia now.

The fried carrot cake was not of the melt in your mouth variety but taste wise was quite ordinary and nothing to shout about.

• Stall Name: Tiong Bahru Tau Suan (#02-55)
• Operating Hours: 7.30 AM to 2.30 PM
• Operating Days: Daily

I used to think that to solve this unbearable heat is a scoop of ice-cream. But I’ve come to the conclusion that a bowl of hot Chinese dessert is the key to making yourself feel cooler on a hot day. I found a stall called Tiong Bahru Tau Suan, selling only 3 desserts, namely Tau Suan, Pulut Hitam and Bubur Terigu.

The beans can be tasted separately and not mashed up like any others.

A bowl of Tau Suan previously only costs $1, but now they are sold at $2 per bowl. The portion isn’t very big but I think that’s what desserts should be like. It shouldn’t be too heavy; something small to close the meal. In my opinion, the Tau Suan was very good. Unlike many bowls of Tau Suan, the sweetness of the thick base did not mask the flavor of the mung beans. Steamed just before added to the base, the mung beans are then further cooked with pandan leaves to give this classic golden dessert the additional aroma. I always love how the You Tiao absorbing all the flavor of the dessert. It not only gives additional texture to the dessert but also goes especially well with the beans that simply crumble in the mouth.

This tau suan has a good consistency, neither diluted nor overly starchy. The beans are nicely steamed beforehand and aren’t mushy or overdone.

I haven’t got a chance to try the Bubur Terigu and Pulut Hitam as they were sold out, but I think that the quality of it can’t be too far off from the other two desserts. Do give it a try if you’re at Tiong Bahru Market in the morning. It can never be too early to have desserts!

Do note these desserts are only available for sale in the morning (till they sell out) so do come early if you want to give it a try.